Tag: wedding ring

We tried, wherever possible, to use local suppliers for our wedding. Generally, that means small businesses or sole traders who may not have a big web presence, i.e. unless searching for them specifically, they are unlikely to appear at the top of any search results. We realise they put a lot of effort into our big day. As a thank you, they get a mention here.

Cake from Patisserie Viennoise of Otley – The glorious smell as you enter the shop had us both drooling almost immediately. It was hard to resist not coming away with a bag full of chocolate treats each time we went there.

Flowers from Hart Company – Despite being heavily pregnant at the time, Susie oozed enthusiasm for the country garden theme we choose and her creativity shone through in the personalised quote she gave us.

Live music from Tristan Mackay – To be honest, in the beginning, I was a little dubious that a soloist could create the party mood we were looking for but after speaking to him on the phone and seeing him perform, I can thoroughly recommend him.

Photographs from Ian Cave – We choose Ian simply because of the natural, “fly on the wall” photos he takes.

Transport from Steels Addingham – Steels stepped up to the mark without a fuss when I was having a mild panic about not being able to find a coach company with availability on the day who didn’t want a small fortune for the privilege.

Rings from A. Fattorinis of Harrogate – No fuss, excellent service with phone calls to update us as and when the rings were ready for engraving, polishing, etc.

We’ve made another concerted effort this week to finalise details for the wedding. There were too many distractions at home so we took a handful of paperwork to the pub and worked through it there. By the end of the evening, we were both shattered but on the upside, we were also fed and watered. Task & Reward!!!

The reason for this concerted effort is we’re starting a period of “paying the ferryman”. We’ve let the venue know final numbers, etc. and there’s an invoice on it’s way. The flowers, photographs, wedding car and a number of other things are all to be paid for in the four weeks before the wedding.

Vicky’s had her hen do. They went to Harrogate at the weekend. From the stories I’ve heard, it was a success; everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Not seen any photos yet though… My stag do is arranged but still to happen.

Us boys had a fitting for highland wear from Slaters. That was just hard work, far more taxing than it needed to be. Best bit: no inside leg measurement needed.

I’ve been reading through my speech time and again to get comfortable with each of the messages and the words I’ll be using to convey them. I’ve been dared to include a specific phrase so I’m working that in.

The wedding rings have arrived back in the jewellers. Mine had to be resized up; it must’ve been a cold day on the first visit or a warm day on the second.

The wedding rings have arrived in the jewellers but we’re struggling to find the time to go there and make sure they fit before getting them inscribed. Deciding on what went in the inscription was another of those “easier than I thought” tasks.

We spent hours in House of Fraser sorting out the Wedding List. We just need to go over it again one last time before it gets published because we went a bit crazy scanning things, then later removing them again & adding replacements.

It turns out we’ve got some flexibility with the seating plan. Now that all the expected RSVPs are back, we could give that some focus. However, Vicky’s PC gave up under the strain last week so that’s gone in for repair. It turns out that the graphics card went “pop” at some point.

Writing my speech has stalled. “I’m ruminating over it!” is how I’ve justified that to myself.

We’ve sorted out all the accommodation for the honeymoon. There’s 1 place where we stay for 1 night only; that’s the price we pay for staying near Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard for a whole 5 days. The plan now is to fully explore each place virtually as much as possible before pitching up.

The wedding rings are ordered. The look of glee on the jeweller’s face when we went back to Fattorini’s! She must be on some kind of commission. They’ll take a few weeks to be made. Then a quick check to make sure they fit before being inscribed. What with, we’re not sure yet.

I have no idea what’s being organised for the stag do. It’s all gone suspiciously quiet in my inbox.

Quite a few RSVPs are still outstanding even after the requested date. If you do get a wedding invite, please, on behalf of your hosts, return the RSVP as soon as you can and definitely before the requested date. It’s a slow torture coming home each evening to 1 or 2 replies, sometimes none for days.

Apparently “Thanks for coming – you’ve been a right laugh!” is not enough as a groom’s speech so I’ve done some reading and prep. work. The good news for me (and probably for everyone else too) is that it’s expected to be fairly short – about 5 mins. – and the structure is prescribed:

thank everyone for coming and playing their part;

say a few words about getting wed; &

introduce the best man.

Easy! Even I can manage that I think. I’ll post my speech’s framework after the big day.

The most exciting thing that’s happened recently for me is booking accommodation and a hire car for the honeymoon. I’d opt for putting together a bespoke holiday any day over a travel agent’s package so we’re really looking forward to that.